Women climb water tank to protest poor rehab facilities

Nagpur, Dec 14 (IANS) Five women and two 15-year-old boys climbed atop a high water storage tank and threatened to jump off to protest the inadequate rehabilitation facilities after their land was acquired by the government for a multi-modal hub near the city, a police official said.”The women along with the boys climbed on top of the tank and threatened to commit suicide if their demands for proper rehabilitation were not met,” said senior police inspector Ashok Babul.

“Time and again, people from the adjoining villages, whose lands have been acquired, come up with different modes of protest,” Babul added.

The scene at the spot seemed straight out of the popular Bollywood movie ‘Sholay’ as the residents of the village and the police tried to convince the women and the boys to come down to safety.

“The women, however, threatened to jump off if anyone tried to go near the steps of the water tank,” Babul said.

“But we had made our arrangements,” Babul added. “Several police officers had set up a safety net a few feet above the ground.”

The multi-modal hub - MIHAN or Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport - an economical development project currently under way, is spread over an area of 4,354 hectares.